"You get'em God!"

Pain, fear and rejection welled up within Jeremiah as he prayed bitterly against his enemies:

"...Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight...deal with them in the time of your anger." -Jeremiah 18:23 

It's not a particularly gracious prayer, but the sentiment is one that most of us have probably felt ourselves at some point. I'm guessing you have either seen or experienced one of the following:

• She is left holding the fragments of a broken marriage while he plays the fool, leaving town with another woman.
• A faithful employee is given the "pink slip" just months before he is vested in his retirement.
• A bride is left at the altar while her cold footed groom runs for the door.
• A pastor pours his heart and soul into a congregation, only to be betrayed and run out of town in humiliation.

And on and on it goes. Embarrassment. Anger. Humiliation. Fear of the future. Powerlessness. Then, in desperation, the aggrieved party prays, "God get'em." 

Certainly God doesn't give any sin a pass. All sins will be judged in time, but what He really wants is repentance on the part of the offender, not the administration of justice. Fortunately for all of us, God's patience far exceeds ours. In fact, a few chapters later in the Book of Jeremiah, God is describing the coming "New Covenant" that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Using Jeremiah's own words from the prayer we just read (note the underlined words), God says,

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ... And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." -Jeremiah 31:31, 34 

So if you've been hurt, embarrassed or otherwise mistreated by some rotten jerk, I get it. I really do. You'd like to strike back, or better yet, you'd like for God to administer a bit of justice on your behalf.

Here's the thing, the "New Covenant" that Jesus purchased with his death and resurrection make equal provision for anyone who will turn to Him. It's even available to the dirty rotten jerk who did you wrong. 

I know. I know. It's not an easy thing to do, but rather than pray a "God get'em" prayer the way Jeremiah did, it's better to ask God to bring the offender to a place of repentance. Jesus said, 

"...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." [Luke 6:27 ESV]

So, you may ask, how am I supposed to "love...do good...bless...pray for" that rotten crummy person? Honestly, it usually takes a little time. Ultimately Christians do the right thing because that is what Jesus told them to do, not because they feel like doing it. 

So if you are still experiencing the sting of a bad event in your life, please, let me give you a little direction on how to pray. Ask the Lord to bring your offender to a place of repentance. God is still a God of miracles and your prayer for that person just might make an eternal difference in their life.

Go ahead. Do the right thing.

The Church is Getting Back to Normal.

The Church is Getting Back to Normal

A church building in Nigeria burning from arson.

We're not quite there yet, but the Church is getting back to normal, and normal is going to take some getting used to.

What is “normal” for the Church?

Frankly, most of us have never really experienced “normal” as it relates to the Church. Here are some sample verses that explain what “normal” is like for those who follow Jesus.

"...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution". -2Timothy 3:12 NKJV

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." -1Peter 4:12-13 NKJV

Jesus specifically said:

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me." -John 15:19-21 NKJV

"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom...Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another." -Matthew 24:7-10 NKJV

If we look beyond our own geography and time, we will see that these verses accurately depict the normal state of affairs for most of the Christians who have ever lived as well as the normal state of affairs for most of those who are alive in the world today.

I expect that the church in America will soon have to acclimate to accelerating hostility from the world around it. We may lose our 501(c)3 tax status. Eventually we may have to surrender our real estate. We're already being laughed at and marginalized. We may go to jail for what we believe. Like it or not, those things are a state of “normal” for the Church. The one thing we cannot do is compromise the truth of the gospel.

What is “normal” for the world?

So will God place a specific curse on the United States because of her moral decline? I don't know. Maybe. He is certainly within his rights to do so. Like it or not, the moral fiber of our laws reflects the moral fiber of our country. There is, I think, some lag time, but eventually “water seeks its own level” so to speak, in the beaker of national morality. 

The United States is quickly becoming an immoral nation with an amoral mindset.

Here's the thing. God doesn't have to pass any new judgment on America. The world has been found guilty of sin and judged alreadyⁱ. Whatever “righteousness” we have ever had as a nationⁱⁱ was derived from faith in a Holy God, anyway.

We certainly know that “all have sinned.”ⁱⁱⁱ Truly, there is plenty of material in the history of this nation to find examples of individual and national sins. The thing that has made the United States stand out in history, as I see it, is not that we have had a collectively flawless character, but that we have had a collective consciousness of sin and an awareness of the need for repentance. In other words, as a group, we have had a consciousness of our responsibility to a holy God and within that consciousness, enough Christians to steer our nation fiber (our laws, if you will) toward righteousness and away from evil.

As our nation's consciousness of responsibility to God diminishes, so has the desire to be righteous by Biblical standards. In other words, our nation societal systems are morphing and merging with what the Bible calls “the world”, and “the world” is decidedly anti-God^iv. In Romans chapter 1, the Bible actually delineates the process by which a society that once knew God fully morphs in to the reprobate (rejected by God) world system. I can see America (or a large portion of it) in those verses. Unless they repent, those who participate in this system are already destined to be sentenced in God's judgment because of their sin.^v

Basically, the increasingly anti-Christian, self-destructive nature of the world around us is not an abnormal thing. It is the normal state of sinful humanity as it interacts with those who carry the gospel. Because it brings a consciousness of sin, the gospel is by nature offensive to those who revel in sin.

The third, and most important question is...

What is “normal” for Jesus?

1. Jesus loves sinners. For that reason gave his life on the cross.
2. Jesus expects his church to “go” and preach the gospel.
3. Jesus has prepared a place for his church.
4. Jesus is coming back.

Nothing in life surprises God. God isn't scared. He has no reason to be. Instead, because of his love for mankind, he has given us another day to fulfill the Great Commission. He still expects that we will do good to those who treat us badly. He expects that we will walk in the Spirit and be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us about our hope. He expects us to hold fast the things that truly matter, and release the things of the world from our grasp.

So, what can we expect?

As the world around us becomes more hostile to the Gospel it is inevitable that those who hold to the truth of that Gospel will be rejected by the world around them. I believe we can expect:^vi

1. Churches to split, as the tension to compromise the gospel increases.
2. A newer “open minded” church to grow in place of those who hold to Biblical truth.
3. To see people whom you have trusted abandon the faith.
4. To be falsely accused. You will not be called out because you uphold the Bible. Instead you will be falsely vilified as a bigot, homophobe, tax-evader, child abuser or some other evil thing.
5. To be abandoned (even mistreated) by some of those you love dearly.
6. To be hated.
7. To see the church gain renewed purpose and purity.
8. To see Jesus.

As odd as it may seem, when these things happen, congratulations will be in order! You will have graduated into good company^vii. Though in may be foreign to us, persecution is not strange. It is very normal.

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  -Philippians 4:7 

iJohn 12:31.

iiYes, it is possible for a nation to be righteous. cf. Genesis 20:4, Isaiah 26:2. Matthew 25:31-46.

iiiRomans 3:23

ivJohn 3:16-19; John 15:18

vActs 17:31, Romans 2

viMatthew 24:9-14, Matthew 5:10-12

viiMatthew 5:10-12

LESSON, Radical Teachings of Jesus Lesson #8: Blessed are the Persecuted

In Matthew 5 Jesus gives us a list of personal “attitudes” that will cause us to be “blessed” or “happy”. These are directly counter the usual humanistic way of thinking.

Radical Concept #8

"Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 5:10 KJV]

To be “righteous” means to be in a “condition acceptable to God.” In a broad sense, this means that a person is in a state of being as they ought to be.¹ With this statement, Jesus is countering our innate desire to be accepted and rewarded for being good. He is pronouncing us “blessed” when we are rejected by the World system because we align ourselves with him.

1. Is it our natural inclination to seek the approval of other people?

2. How does this manifest itself in our lives? Is there such a thing as “adult peer presser?
   1. With the people we know…
   2. With the people we don’t know…

3. How does the Bible address the issue of “conforming” to this world? See Romans 12:1-3

4. What are some real life ways in which we should “dare to be Godly”? What are the real life consequences?

5. If I am popular/cool/hip with the prevailing culture around me, should I be concerned? Is there a difference between being accepted and being respected? See Luke 6:26.

6. When Jesus refers to “false prophets” to whom is he referring? [as an example see 1 Kings 22].

7. Make a list of the Godly prophets who were well received and well compensated for their ministry.

8. True/False. Jesus was only followed by a few fishermen and the ignorant masses. [see John 12:42-43, Luke 8:1-3, Matthew 8:8]

9. Is it possible to believe in Jesus without confessing him? Can we be saved if we refuse to confess him as Savior?

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." [Matthew 10:32-33 KJV]

"… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."" [Romans 10:9-11 ESV]

To continue to the next lesson, click HERE.

1 Vine’s Expository Dictionary referenced at http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1343&t=KJV

Concerning the imprisonment of Pastor Saeed Abedini

It seems to me that today there is a great deal of hand wringing going on among evangelicals concerning the imprisonment on Pastor Saeed Abedini. 

By all accounts he is a good man on a mission of mercy to help orphans. He has been accused of Christian evangelism and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison. He had to have known the risks when he went to Iran. I understand that this is a fearful time for his family and those close to him. I get all of that, and for that reason I write this with a great deal of somberness. 

We as Christians need to take a step back for a little "Kingdom" perspective.

This is not the first time a Christian preacher has been put in prison for the sake of the gospel. In fact Jesus told us these things would happen. As much as we love religious liberty, we should not forget that great revivals can happen in prison.

Do I want Pastor Abedini to be freed? Yes, but my hope is not in a rescue by the U.S. Government. My prayer is that he will bear such a witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ, that prisoners and guards alike will believe on Jesus Christ as their Savior. I want his freedom to come in a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ. 

As I understand it, he is being held in a notorious Iranian prison called "Evin Prison". It seems that in addition to hardened criminals, this prison holds many Iranian intellectuals who are incarcerated for political reasons. 


It is unlikely that any missions organization would be able to penetrate this Iranian prison, but now there is an evangelical pastor of Iranian descent, in this Iranian prison filled with potential national leaders. The Lord Jesus now has a light in a very dark place.

"Our Father in heaven, please grant Pastor Saeed Abedini courage and wisdom and favor and confirm you word in amazing ways!"

Pastor Saeed Abedini